"[W]e urge the Chinese leadership to postpone implementation of the [requirement that companies in China use Chinese-controlled info technology products] and grant an opportunity for discussion and dialogue for interested stakeholders with agencies responsible for the initiatives."

- An open letter from various business groups, including the American Chamber of Commerce in China, to "the honorable members of the Chinese Communist Party Central Leading Group for Cyberspace Affairs," dated January 28, 2015.

"For the four Chinese-speaking regions — Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Mainland China — the longer the colonization, the more advanced a place is. It’s rather embarrassing. Singapore is better than Hong Kong; Hong Kong is better than Taiwan; Taiwan is better than the mainland. I’m speaking in terms of culture. I’ve been to Vietnam and mainland China. Even though the Vietnamese are seemingly poor, they always stop in front of red traffic lights and walk in front of green ones. Even though mainland China’s GDP is higher than that of Vietnam, if you ask me about culture, the Vietnamese culture is superior."

-- Ko Wen-je 柯文哲, the trauma physician and medical school professor who was elected mayor of Taipei in November 2014, speaking to Foreign Policy, in an interview published January 29, 2015. Ko ran as an independent and is highly critical of the role of parties and corporations in Taiwanese politics.

"The bilateral relationship is mature enough that we understand even if we don't have political trust for another five to 10 years, we need to live and work together. That's a new way of thinking by Chinese leaders."

Sun Zhe, commenting on the US-China discussions at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in Beijing on November 12, 2014. He was quoted by Reuters.

"China is ready to work with the United States to make efforts in a number of priority areas and putting into effect such principles as non-confrontation, non-conflict, mutual respect, and win-win cooperation."

“Do you feel uncomfortable when seeing others showing off their sweet love messages on Weibo and WeChat while you only receive messages from 10086 [the service number of China Mobile]?”

Unnamed Taobao advertiser offering a virtual mate on China's "Single's Day." Quoted by the Financial Times on Nov. 11, 2014.

"We compete for business, but we also seek to cooperate on a broad range of shared challenges and shared opportunities. Whether it's stopping the spread of Ebola, or preventing nuclear -- preventing nuclear proliferation, or deepening our clean energy partnership, combating climate change, a leadership role that, as the world's two largest economies and two largest carbon emitters, we have a special responsibility to embrace.

"If China and the United States can work together, the world benefits."

"So, when we say that foreign policy is economic policy and economic policy is foreign policy, we mean it. And I'm telling you that I want every person in the State Department to be an economic officer. And we're going to work with you to help try to guarantee that we can create the jobs, build the relationship between the United States and China that provides the leadership necessary across the Asia Pacific. We make a lot of money for everybody in the doing of it, but we also create a stability, and a guarantee about a better life that helps all of us to fulfill our promise to the next generation."

"While I am reminded that speculating about the future is obviously always risky, there are two predictions that I am very certain about. The Asia Pacific is one of the most promising places on the planet, and America’s future and security and prosperity are closely and increasingly linked to that region."

"Even if we could not resolve [the India-China border dispute] for the time being, we could at least manage it effectively, not allowing it to affect the normal development of our relations."

Wang Yi, China's foreign minister, during a visit to India, quoted by The Hindu and cited by the Associated Presson June 8, 2014.

“The perception among the Chinese public is that these officials use their positions for their personal gains, then they send their families away and when the time comes, they are going to bail.”

Dali Yang, University of Chicago professor, discussing why the Chinese government has recently demoted or forced officials to resign if they had spouses or children with permanent residency abroad. Yang was quoted by the Associated Press on June 11, 2014. Such officials are called "naked officials," because their families are not with them.